CWE-690
Unchecked Return Value to NULL Pointer Dereference
AI Translation Available
The product does not check for an error after calling a function that can return with a NULL pointer if the function fails, which leads to a resultant NULL pointer dereference.
Status
draft
Abstraction
compound
Affected Platforms
C
C++
Memory-Unsafe
Extended Description
AI Translation
While unchecked return value weaknesses are not limited to returns of NULL pointers (see the examples in CWE-252), functions often return NULL to indicate an error status. When this error condition is not checked, a NULL pointer dereference can occur.
Technical Details
AI Translation
Common Consequences
availability
integrity
confidentiality
Impacts
dos: crash, exit, or restart
execute unauthorized code or commands
read memory
modify memory
Detection Methods
black box
white box
automated dynamic analysis